NEW YORK, New York — New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday unveiled a multi-year plan aimed at providing free child care for all 2-year-olds in New York City, a proposal they say will ease financial pressure on families while expanding early childhood education access.
Under the plan, the state will fully fund the first two years of the program using existing revenue, with no new taxes imposed this year. The rollout will begin in high-need neighborhoods identified by the city, before expanding citywide by the fourth year. Hochul described the initiative as an extension of New York City’s existing pre-K framework, positioning it as a foundational investment rather than a new bureaucratic system.
The proposal also includes a $1.2 billion increase in funding for the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, which primarily serves low-income families. State officials say that expansion will help stabilize child care providers while increasing access for working parents who are currently priced out of the market.
For Mamdani, who took office only days ago, the announcement marks an early effort to deliver on a central campaign promise focused on affordability. He framed the initiative as an example of coordinated state and city governance delivering tangible benefits to residents.
Hochul, who faces reelection this year, emphasized that child care costs have become unsustainable for many families across the state. In addition to the city-focused plan, she reiterated her goal of expanding universal pre-K statewide by the start of the 2028–29 school year.
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